zucchini corn quesadillas

David sent me a text today that read, "Let's try to eat vegetarian most of this week." Yipee! I do like eating less meat and I also enjoy the challenge of finding tasty, easy, meatless recipes. This was delicious and easy. Stay tuned for the side dish (which was my favorite part and of which I made a huge batch so I can eat it all week - it's THAT good).

2 medium zucchinis, halved lengthwise and sliced thinly
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup frozen sweet white corn
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
4 flour tortillas
Shredded jack and cheddar cheese
Sour Cream, for serving
Salsa, for serving (see tip)

Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a medium saute pan. Add onions and garlic and saute 2 minutes. Add zucchini and saute until soft and caramelized. Add frozen corn and saute until hot. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and stir in chopped cilantro.

Heat saute pan over medium heat. Divide zucchini mixture between two flour tortillas. Layer with shredded cheese and top each with a remaining tortilla. Add quesadilla, one at a time, until crispy on the bottom and carefully flip over until the other side is crispy as well. Serve with sour cream and salsa.

Tip: in a pinch here's how I improve on store-bought salsa. I trick I learned from my sister-in-law. Pour a good amount of Pace salsa (or whatever you have) into your Magic Bullet (trust me, it's worth it) along with a handful of cilantro and a squeeze of lime (or not). Blend until smooth. It's delicious.

Easy Spanish Rice

This was quite possibly one of the easiest and yummiest things I've ever made. I like to make Spanish Rice along side enchiladas, tacos, burritos, etc. but it's often such a pain to make. Not this recipe! Just five ingredients and 25 minutes and David and I agreed that it was superb. I served this along with some enchiladas I made using this shredded pork. It was delicious.

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 of a medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups long grain white rice, uncooked
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup chunky salsa (I used good ol' Pace - perfect for this type of situation)

Heat oil in a medium or large pot over medium heat. Stir in onion and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Mix rice into pot and stir until it begins to brown. Stir in chicken broth and salsa. Reduce heat and simmer (covered) for 20 minutes until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is cooked.

green chicken and corn enchiladas

This is my healthiest version of enchiladas. While David loves your traditional enchiladas (fried tortillas, cheese-filled and red sauce), I find these a great alternative. I also suspect you could omit the chicken and double the veggies to make it vegetarian. But I think the chicken adds a great substance.

1/2 sweet white onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 cup frozen sweet white corn
2-3 chicken breasts
10 corn tortillas
1 can (26 ounce) Las Palmas green enchilada sauce
shredded cheese (I use a mixture of Monterey Jack and Cheddar)

Set a large pot of water on to boil. Add chicken breasts and boil until done (about 8 minutes if not frozen). Once cooked through, remove from water and let cool. Shred the chicken and set aside.

Heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil in a medium saute pan. Add onion and saute until starting to soften. Stir in diced bell pepper and cook until starting to soften (not too long!). Add the frozen corn and saute until warmed through. Pour in cooked chicken and about 3 Tablespoons of the enchilada sauce. Season with salt and pepper and stir until combined.

Preheat oven to 375. Take a glass casserole dish (9x13) and pour about 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce on the bottom. Swirl to coat the pan. Wrap the corn tortillas in a wet (and rung dry) paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds just to soften the tortillas.

One at a time, put about 1-2 Tablespoons of the chicken mixture inside the tortilla and wrap up tightly (being sure not to break the tortilla). Place in the casserole dish and repeat until used all the tortillas and the filling. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce on top and layer a good amount of cheese on top as well. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes until the top is bubbly and browned (I like my top really crispy).

Top with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, sour cream, guacamole and tomatillo salsa (my recipe here).

southwestern brisket tacos with red cabbage slaw

I made smitten kitchen's Southwestern Pulled Brisket with red cabbage slaw the other night for dinners and it was good. I did make a couple of alterations so read on.

3 pounds beef brisket (or pot roast)
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons olive oil
5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed (use the back side of your knife)
1 large spanish onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups water
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can whole tomatoes, with juice
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup molasses

Season the beef with salt and pepper and heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add beef and sear on all sides until evenly browned. Transer meat to the slow cooker (or crock pot, whatever you fancy). Leave saute pan on heat.

Add garlic, onions, chili powder and cumin and stir for about one minute. Add vinegar and boil until it's almost gone, scraping the bottom of the pan. Stir in water and pour the mixture over the brisket. Crush the tomatoes through your fingers over the beef, adding juices as well. Add bay leaves and molasses. Cover and set the slow cooker to low and cook for 8 - 10 hours (I did 10).

Serve as tacos with warmed corn tortillas, red cabbage slaw (recipe below) and sour cream.

Red Cabbage Slaw
1 cup green onions, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 jalapeno pepper
2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
salt and pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1 small head red cabbage, shredded
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Blend green onions, vinegar, jalapenos, mayonnaise, salt and pepper in blender (or this is a GREAT time to pull out your Magic Bullet) until emulsified. Place cabbage and red onions in a large bowl and pour dressing on top. Mix until combined and fold in cilantro. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

the ungreasy taco

you guys, you guys! I'm so excited about this little trick I learned today from eating well. so, david loves greasy tacos. gross right? but then again, not really because they're really good sometimes. he's from southern california which pretty much equals greasy mexican food, hence the loving of greasy tacos. unfortunately, the devotion to this oily delicacy is not exactly conducive with our plan to lose weight . . . enter a baked alternative.
here's how it works. instead of firing up the old frying pan and filling it with canola oil, you heat your oven to 375 and spray those corn tortillas with canola oil cooking spray. then sprinkle it with chili powder and some kosher salt and drape them over a bar of your oven rack so that it creates a taco shell (bake for 7 - 10 minutes). so genius!

the ungreasy taco

12 Crispy Taco Shells (recipe above)
Lean & Spicy Taco Meat (recipe follows)
3 cups shredded romaine lettuce
3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
3/4 cup diced tomatoes
3/4 cup prepared salsa
1/4 cup diced red onion

To assemble, fill each taco shell with (in any order): a generous 3 tablespoons taco meat, 1/4 cup lettuce, 1 tablespoon cheese, 1 tablespoon tomato, 1 tablespoon salsa, 1 teaspoon onion.

lean & spicy taco meat

8 ounces 93%-lean ground beef
8 ounces 99%-lean ground turkey breast
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 10-ounce can diced tomatoes with green chiles, preferably Rotel brand (see Shopping Tip), or 1 1/4 cups petite-diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chile or 1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Place beef, turkey and onion in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a colander to drain off fat. Wipe out the pan. Return the meat to the pan and add tomatoes, cumin, ground chipotle (or chili powder) and oregano. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated, 3 to 6 minutes.

shredded pork and roasted tomatillo salsa

for my brother's "return home" dinner, I made some delicious mexican food. don't be fooled - that's not a mexican flag sticking out of green salsa. it's the german flag because that's where my bro returned from. hopefully I learn how to make a few german dishes here soon (such as: Spätzle, Klöße, Kalter Hund) so I can post them. in the mean time, here are two recipes that you won't be sorry you made.


shredded pork
*disclaimer: I will hunt you down if you do not follow the cooking time for this recipe exactly. it does not get easier than putting meat in the crockpot all day and letting it go to town.

6-7 pounds pork tenderloin
sauce:
3 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
2 (8 ounce) cans el pato sauce (in the yellow can)
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup water

mix together ingredients for sauce and pour over pork tenderloin in crock pot. cook on low for 8-9 hours. that's it suckers.

roasted tomatillo salsa
*disclaimer: the recipe for the salsa is not exact. I manipulated a recipe I found online and didn't write down the changes I made - mostly guessed. deal with it.

1 1/2 pounds fresh tomatillos
3 fresh serrano chiles
3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar

preheat broiler.

remove husks from tomatillos and rinse under warm water to remove stickiness. lay chiles, garlic, chopped onion and fresh tomatillos on a cookie sheet (evenly spread). drizzle with olive oil. place sheet on rack of a broiler pan 1 to 2 inches from heat, turning once, until tomatillos are softened and slightly charred, about 7 minutes.

remove from oven and peel garlic and pull off tops of chiles. purée all in a food processor with cilantro. slowly add kosher salt and sugar to taste.